Shames Prisoner Overcoming the Academic and Emotional Effects of Learning Disabilities from a Teacher Who Experienced It

Hi! I am Cindy, The LD Coach. I was diagnosed with a Learning Disability (Dyslexia) in reading and writing while in grade school. With the help of my mother and some outstanding teachers, I was able to overcome the effects Dyslexia has on my life to receive degrees from Virginia Union University and Clark Atlanta University. I resigned my post in a large urban school district in 2011 after having been a successful special education teacher, including a co-teacher, and administrator, leading over 12 special education teachers and paraprofessionals to purse a love of speaking, inspiring others and to run Triumph in Life, a non-profit organization I founded with a mission to inspire those with Dyslexia and other learning disabilities. Ever since I decided I would no longer be ashamed of my Dyslexia, I've been on a personal quest to help others like me, especially students understand, "Dyslexia is what we have, it's not who we are." Nowhere is the saying "Knowledge is power," more applicable than when it comes to understanding yourself. Years of living with and teaching those with Dyslexia and other learning disabilities have brought me to the firm conclusion that it impairs a person's life the most when that person lives daily feeling ashamed and embarrassed because of the label they carry. I am on a mission to share what I've discovered and continue to discover, "I am good enough just the way I am and it's because of my Dyslexia that I have been so successful in life." Apart from helping dispel the many myths and misunderstandings surrounding Dyslexia, I also speak about overcoming adversity- something I know a lot about. I created the website, www.theLDcoach.com, as a resource of inspiration for those looking for information about the Dyslexia. I do my best to blog regularly, although having both Dyslexia and organization issues, I am not as consistent as I'd like to be. I am always working on that. I hope you are lenient with me! Especially considering I also write about Dyslexia and special education for The Educator's Room. Finally, as much as I love being a speaker and teacher, I love being a wife and mother more. My husband (The Preacher), daughter and I live in a great city called Atlanta. Feel free to connect with me on Facebook at Cindy Lumpkin, The LD Coach; Twitter @theLDcoach and Instgram @theLDcoach.